Beliefs

Our Vision

By God’s grace and enabling, it is our vision to – impact our community through increasingly effective outreach events and biblical Christian worldview ministries & programs – offer an environment that is conducive to the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our community – provide an effective ministry process that facilitates Christian formation from the irreligious to fully-committed follower of Christ – equip believers through advanced Christian education and small group connections to be fruitful and fulfilled in the use of their spiritual gifts in ministry – present a contemporary and relevant Worship Arts Ministry – steward faithfully the facilities our Lord has given us to reach as many people as possible with the gospel.

Our Values

Because we love and worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ…
We value the needs of others as more important than our own. 
Philippians 2:3

We value evangelism because Jesus’ desire is for all to come to repentance. Therefore, “as we are going about our daily life, we are to make disciples.”
II Peter 3:9; Matthew 28:18-20

We value humility and servant-hood because when we accepted Christ, we laid our rights on the table. 
Luke 14:26-27

We value God’s word and hold it up as our final authority.
II Timothy 3:16-17

We value the teaching of scripture and desire to apply it to our lives. So we ask, “What would Jesus do in this situation” and purpose to do the same.
John 14:15

We value biblically sound ministry that is culturally relevant.
I Corinthians 9:19-23

We value biblical messages that are practical and applicable.
James 1:22-25

We value local outreach and global missions.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8

We value fellowship as is defined by the “one another” passages in the Bible. Therefore, we encourage everyone to participate in a small group where our vision is “no one stands alone.”
John 13:34-35

We value stewardship because we truly own nothing but are stewards of what Christ has entrusted to us.  Time -
Ephesians 5:16; Talent – I Peter 4:10; Treasure – Luke 16:11-13

We value prayer.
I Thessalonians 5:17

Our Purpose

The five purposes of the church are based upon the great commission and the great commandment

The great commission
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

The great commandment
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31

Our Five Purposes:
1.    Reach with the Gospel – My world and the world
2.    Establish with baptism and membership – Baptism Class and  Discovery -like classes
3.    Add to the understanding and practice of God’s word – All forms of teaching
4.    Call to worship – We love God by worshiping Him
5.    Help to serve God by serving others – We love people by serving them

Our Beliefs

The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind.
2 Timothy 3:15-17

God
There is one and only one living true God. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

A. God the Father

God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe. Genesis 1:1

B. God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. In His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of people from sin. Philippians 2:5-11

C. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He exalts Christ. He convicts people of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls people to the Savior, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character. Romans 8:9-11

Mankind
Mankind is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race.
Romans 1:19-32

Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole person, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer.
John 3:3-21

God’s Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of people, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end.
Ephesians 1:4-23

The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel.
Colossians 1:18

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Christian baptism (immersion in water), is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:3-5

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34

The Lord’s Day
It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2

The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over people who willfully acknowledge Him as King.
Colossians 1:13

Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all people in righteousness.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18

Evangelism and Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.
1 Thessalonians 1:8-9

Education
Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. In Jesus Christ abide all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All sound learning is, therefore, a part of our Christian heritage.
Proverbs 1:3-4

Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth.
1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Cooperation
Members of New Testament churches should cooperate with one another in carrying forward the missionary, educational, and benevolent ministries for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom. Christian unity in the New Testament sense is spiritual harmony and voluntary cooperation for common ends.
Ephesians 4:1-16

The Christian and the Social Order
All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.
Romans 12-14

Peace and War
It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. The true remedy for the war spirit is the Gospel of our Lord.
Romans 13:1-7

Religious Liberty
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends.
Galatians 5:1,13

The Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.  Divorce is permissible when abuse, abandonment or adultery has defiled the relationship. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9